Employees clap as the ceremonial ribbon is cut for the grand opening of the newly renovated North Augusta Family Salvation Army Thrift Store.

The North Augusta Family Thrift Store at 1803 Knox Avenue has added new tile flooring and better lighting to improve the customer experience, said William Davis, family stores operations manager for The Salvation Army’s thrift stores in North Augusta, Augusta and Thomson.

“It needed a facelift. The lighting fixtures were burning out, and the carpet had served its time,” Davis said. “We needed to do something to brighten up the store and improve the shopping experience. We have done this in Thomson already.”

Capt. Todd Mason, head of the The Salvation Army of Greater Augusta, dedicated the store during its grand re-opening Friday. The celebration also included refreshments, giveaways and performances by The Salvation Army of Greater Augusta Band.

The Salvation Army installed 18-inch tile flooring and revamped the lighting throughout the 5,000-square-foot store. The store remained opened during the renovations, with half of the store being remodeled at a time.

“We’ve had numerous comments complimenting the look of the store, how beautiful it looks, the layout. It even looks bigger,” Davis said.

The thrift store added several new racks of merchandise, but the layout remains relatively the same. The store has three employees and five to 10 volunteers daily.

Renovations are not presently scheduled for the Augusta store, he said.

Rebecca Shaver, of North Augusta, shops at the North Augusta Family Thrift Store two to three times a week and gave the renovations a thumbs up.

“It looks 100 percent better,” Shaver said. “You find nice stuff for a good price. It helped me out before, so I want to give back. When I was a single parent, they helped me with Christmas. By shopping here, I can help give to another family.”

William Camacho, of North Augusta, is also a regular shopper. He’s able to find clothing two or three times cheaper than at retail stores, he said.

“I think it’s a real nice investment,” Camacho said about the improvements. “The purpose of these stores is basically charity for people that are in need. I think it’s a very good way to help the community.”

Proceeds from items sold at The Salvation Army’s thrift stores benefit several Salvation Army of Greater Augusta programs and services, including two homeless shelters, soup kitchen, drug and alcohol rehabilitation center and two job skills programs.